


i got the magic in me!

by bubblehyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Complete, M/M, but we love him, markhyuck, renjun is a bitch, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 10:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21098117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblehyuck/pseuds/bubblehyuck
Summary: donghyuck (ur main bitch) @fullsun tweeted:wtf my roommate handcuffed me to a stranger ;-;renjun @pureboiii replied:didn't know u were into that





	i got the magic in me!

**Author's Note:**

> hii  
hope u like it! more of a silly little college au as i've experienced my first couple months as a first-year undergrad. enjoyyyy

After surviving a long day of classes, nearly being crashed into by a frat boy on a boosted board, and stressing about a history essay due on Friday that he hasn’t even started, the thing Donghyuck wants most right now is to step into his room and finally get some rest.

Unfortunately, his roommate is Huang Renjun. Donghyuck never knows what to expect when entering their dorm building, but with the general noise being emitted from behind their door as he scans his keycard, he knows it’s anything but a good napping environment.

It’s been two days of university. Four, if you count the orientation program meant to welcome the freshmen the weekend they move in. Donghyuck thought he knew what he was getting himself into when he messaged Renjun’s profile on the school’s roommate selection app (or as he likes to call it, university-sanctioned Tinder) but that hasn’t been the case.

His preemptive cringe for what he’s about to walk in on is entirely justified when Donghyuck opens his door to see Renjun dressed like a Panic! At the Disco member in 2006, attempting to pull a bouquet of flowers out of the sleeve of his blazer. Also there’s Red Velvet playing from his portable speaker. And a confused-looking boy sitting in Donghyuck’s desk chair. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Donghyuck questions his roommate, who barely startles at his arrival.

“Magic,” Renjun responds, smiling as the bouquet of Dollar Tree fake flowers finally comes out of his sleeve, “for you, my lovely audience member.”

Mystery boy, who has been staring wide-eyed at Donghyuck this whole time, abruptly turns back to face Renjun and clears his throat, taking the flowers. “Thanks?”

“You’re welcome! I will need them back, though, you don’t get to keep them,” and by Renjun’s cheery tone and mischievous look that follows, Donghyuck can tell he’s not going to like what’s about to happen. Why wasn’t aspiring magician an available box to check on the roommate application form? Donghyuck now considers it to be quite important. “Donghyuck this is Mark, Mark this is Donghyuck,” Renjun grins and slides his own desk chair over to the left of where Mark is sitting, “it just so happens that I need two volunteers for my next act.”  


Now, his roommate might be crazy, but Donghyuck was crazy enough to want to live with him. Somehow between conversations of smuggling candles into their dorm and their shared love of Kang Seulgi, magic must’ve slipped through the cracks, but Donghyuck can at least pretend to be interested. He’s a theatre major, afterall. He groans and sets his backpack down as he sits in the open chair, now spotting the handcuffs Renjun has pulled out of a golden box sitting on his desk, “Oh god, no, Jesus Christ.”  
  
“No, I’m just Renjun. Although Jesus Christ would be a good magician stage name. Thank you, I’ve been trying to come up with one.”  
  
Mystery boy, Mark, as Donghyuck has learned, giggles at that. It’s a stupid giggle. Donghyuck definitely doesn’t think it’s kinda cute.

“Renjun, I don’t even want to think about where those have been,” Donghyuck starts, skeptically veering away as Renjun brings the handcuffs over. 

“Relax,” Renjun rolls his eyes, “they’re from my magic kit. Hold out your hands.”  


Mark immediately raises his arm, looking strangely calm, although Donghyuck supposes he’s probably been the subject of much stranger instructions since he’s entered their dorm room. He gazes at the stranger, trying to convey his feelings of _ “are you fucking crazy?” _, but when Mark glances at him, all he gets in return is a shrug and the beginnings of blushing cheeks. So he lifts his hand.

“Okay! So,” Magician Renjun begins to explain, “first of all, y—Donghyuck you need to raise your other hand. No, your other hand, not mine. Oh my god you fucking idiot, _ please _ .”  
  
Mark is giggling again.

“Well, _ Houdini _ , you’re gonna need to articulate your needs more clearly if you want to be a real magician,” Donghyuck glares, and begrudgingly cooperates.  
  
“Fuck you, I _ am _ a real magician,” Renjun puts the handcuffs around Mark’s wrist, and then Donghyuck’s, and he swears Renjun makes his really tight on purpose. 

As RBB plays in the background, Renjun starts to narrate in what Donghyuck can only assume to be his magician voice, “I will now cover the mystical handcuffs of destiny with this ancient magical cloth,” He puts a red handkerchief over their connected wrists, “And on the count of three, the lock shall be broken and the victims unshackled!”  
  
Mark lets out a confused, “_Victims? _”

And Donghyuck huffs as Renjun makes a swirling motion over the cloth with his plastic magic wand.

“One! Two! Three! _ Zimzalabim _!”

“I fucking hate you, Renjun,” Donghyuck states, but as the cloth is removed to reveal a pair of very locked and intact handcuffs, Donghyuck looks up with a pitiful glance, “seriously, I fucking hate you.”  


“God damn it, every time,” Renjun complains, staring pointedly at the linked wrists, and you’d almost think this has happened before. At this point, amid Renjun’s stress of examining the cloth and Donghyuck’s apparent boredom, even Mark is starting to look slightly anxious and not as complacent in his somewhat voluntary magic participation. 

“Um, you have a key, right?” The quiet boy asks, Donghyuck dropping their hands as Renjun turns to search through his magic kit.

Mark and Donghyuck sit impatiently, trying to keep their hands a socially acceptable distance away from the other, as Renjun fumbles through the golden box. Mark fidgets as Renjun checks his pockets once, twice, and slowly turns around, clearing his throat with a grimace. “So there may be somewhat of a situation.”  
  
“Holy shit, my roommate locked me to a stranger.”  
  
~~~

As Renjun takes his google maps directed walk to the closest locksmith, Donghyuck decides that he and Mark may as well get comfortable. Heck, who knows how many hours Renjun could take to get back. He’s not sure how busy a locksmith might be on a Wednesday afternoon. 

“So, Mark,” Donghyuck catches the attention of the shy boy. 

He looks up from his phone and pushes his glasses up his nose with their connected hands by accident, pulling Donghyuck’s arm up with his own. He smiles apologetically, “Yeah?”  
  
“Since we’re locked together and sitting on my bed, you wanna tell me about yourself?”  
  
At that comment, Mark blushes again, and Donghyuck begins to worry for his circulation. It can’t be healthy to blush this often.

“Um, well I’m a biochem major. That’s how I met Renjun, during our orgo lecture,” he explains timidly, not very good at keeping eye contact. “I honestly didn’t really want to, um, watch his magic, I should get ahead on my physics reading, but I didn’t wanna be mean, so,” Mark glances up, and shyly smiles at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck thinks he might just make it his mission to take care of this boy.

“You’re too nice,” he genuinely laughs, and Mark does, too.

“Yeah, my friends have always told me that,” Mark smiles, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. “What about you?”  
  
“What about me?”  
  
“What do you study?”

Donghyuck lights up, always happy to talk about what he’s passionate about. Something tells him Mark would like to hear the full version, not the abridged one he tells his aunts at family reunions when they want a quick answer. 

“I’m a theatre major, performing arts concentration. I did plays, musicals, improv, everything my high school had to offer in the theatre department. I loved it, so. Here I am,” Mark looks interested, so he continues, “I really want to do musical theatre, though.”  
  
“That’s so cool,” Mark geniously observes. “You’re so cool,” he adds intently, shining wide eyes now looking right at Donghyuck. Once he realizes what he’s said he looks down in embarrassment, and now it’s Donghyuck’s turn to blush.

“Thanks, Mark.”

There’s a brief pause before Mark asks, “how come I feel like I can talk to you?” It’s obvious Mark is more of an introvert, he probably despised the welcome orientation program where you tend to lose count of how many times you have to share your name, hometown, and major. Donghyuck feels special in that he seems to make this boy feel safe.

He looks at Mark’s sheepishly curious gaze with nothing but adoration inside, but on the outside he expresses his interest with an, “I dunno. Maybe we’re soulmates.”

Mark is surprised at that one, but begins to laugh, “dude, ew,” and Donghyuck thinks he can’t get enough of this giggle. Maybe he’ll have to start making Mark laugh all the time.

  
If Renjun comes back to the dorm empty handed, only to find his two new friends sleeping in Donghyuck’s dorm bed, he doesn’t say a word.

~~~  


Donghyuck wakes up with his arm twisted in an incredibly uncomfortable position and a warm body next to his own. Blinking the sleep away, he recalls yesterday afternoon’s events and pushes his comforter aside, just to see some still locked handcuffs around he and Mark’s wrists, glaring at them as if it could break the lock.

He glances over to Renjun’s bed, since he hadn’t gotten back yesterday, but finds it empty. No Renjun means no key which means he and Mark are stuck for the time being. What a great way to start your morning.

He and Mark had talked for a while last night, and before they knew it, it had been time to go to sleep. They each had class at 9 today and weren’t about to sleep on the floor, so Donghyuck brought up the only-a-little-awkward suggestion of sharing a bed. 

Since he now knew Mark’s favorite color, older brother’s name, and position on his middle school soccer team, he didn’t consider them strangers anymore. In fact, Mark might be the closest he’d gotten with anyone this first week of university. Yes, Donghyuck is pretty outgoing and able to converse with all the kids he’s met so far, but it’s different when you’re able to let go and be yourself around someone like he has so quickly with Mark. When they took turns brushing their teeth in the dorm bathroom last night, Donghyuck figured that, out of anyone, he was kind of glad he was unwillingly connected to Mark. Only kind of.

He attempts to wake up Mark by gently shaking his shoulder with his free hand, but is met with a very sleepy, messy-haired boy burying his head into the space between Donghyuck’s neck and shoulder.

“Mark, c’mon, we gotta get up,” Donghyuck turns his head towards Mark, pushing his face into the boy’s hair. As barely-awake Mark comes up with a coherent response, Donghyuck tries to justify why it’s okay that he’s thinking about how good a person he met yesterday smells. He figures, when it’s Mark, it’s perfectly rational.

“Don’t wanna,” is the intelligent reply Mark decides on. Donghyuck definitely doesn’t notice the way Mark’s breath feels on his neck, virtually no space between their bodies.

“You have a lecture in twenty minutes,” that seems to work, Mark bolting upright, causing Donghyuck’s arm to be yanked up as well “Ow???”  


“Fuck, sorry, I hate being late,” this is the first time Donghyuck has heard Mark curse in the 18 hours of knowing him. It must be serious.

Mark gets out of Donghyuck’s bed, this time considering the extra person he is linked to, and as they both stand on the freezing cold dorm tile they share a look that says _ there’s no fucking way we’re showering while attatched at the wrist. _Donghyuck thinks that’s for the best.

“Okay, then get your ass moving and let’s get you to your physics lecture!” Donghyuck thinks he’s just as, if not more than, determined as Mark at this point. He knows how important grades are to the other, and Donghyuck will get Mark to this lecture if it’s the last thing he does.

So maybe he has strong feelings for the boy.

Mark shakes his head, maybe in an effort to rid himself of the tired behind his eyes, and kicks into gear, running his free hand through his (as Donghyuck has now learned, naturally curly) hair and slipping on his checker vans. Donghyuck thinks those shoes are perfectly dorky for Mark, and if dorky isn’t also the perfect word to describe how Mark puts his backpack over his shoulder, smiling up at Donghyuck and saying “let’s go get educated!” then Donghyuck’s a liar.

They step outside into the cool fall air, a nice five minute walk to the physics lecture hall, when it dawns on Donghyuck. “Wait, Mark,” he says, stopping in his tracks outside the stairwell from his dorm. Mark looks at him all cute and questioningly like a kitten or some shit, so he quickly elaborates, “won’t people think its weird that we’re connected by a pair of handcuffs?”  
  
Mark considers this. Donghyuck understands where he may be contemplating—9am’s don’t leave too much room for judgement. Pajamas in the lecture hall are welcome.

“Maybe?” Mark comes up with, “it’s probably fine, though. Maybe if,” he clears his throat, “we held hands? It might be okay?”  
  
Donghyuck knows the Mark he first met couldn’t have gotten that sentence out without a voice crack and a blush. They were making quick progress.

“Yeah, good idea,” Donghyuck smiles, tucking the handcuffs under their sleeves and taking hold of Mark’s hand, not at all surprised that his skin is very soft. He steals a quick glance to check that, _ yep that one made Mark blush _.

They walk hand in hand to Mark’s lecture, opting for a seat in the back to limit the amount of stares they might get when coming to class chained together. Donghyuck looks over when Mark starts to speak after getting out his notebook and pencil, eyes jumping to the chicken scratch that’s probably supposed to be the date on the corner of Mark’s paper.

“Uh…I’m left handed,” Mark cringes as he looks over at Donghyuck.

“God, why me,” Donghyuck facepalms using his right hand, the one connected to Mark’s left. If Renjun couldn’t have fucked up their lives any more, he handcuffed their dominant hands together. “You can try to write like normal, I’ll try not to mind too much,”  
  
Donghyuck, not caring to understand a single one of Newton’s Laws, spends the following 50 minutes thinking about what naturally occupies one’s mind—Mark Lee. Donghyuck concludes that this boy he met yesterday has turned him soft. Donghyuck is being nice! So nice to sit in on a calculus-based physics course that Mark seems to know way too much about to be a student, so nice to let his arm be dragged across the page as Mark diligently takes notes. So nice for Mark. If Renjun ever tries a magic trick on him again he will cut that bitch.

While daydreaming, Donghyuck absent-mindedly watches Mark take the neatest, color-coded notes he’s ever seen. In the breaks between slides, as the professor answers questions, Donghyuck is startled to consciousness when Mark maneuvers their wrists in order to better hold Donghyuck’s hand on top of the notebook, gently rubbing his thumb on the back of Donghyuck’s hand. Donghyuck’s heart melts.

~~~

The week goes like this. Donghyuck and Mark attend each others classes, Mark reluctantly being dragged to the very social situations that pertain to Donghyuck’s major and Donghyuck trying not to fall asleep during Mark’s chemistry lab. 

Each morning, when he and Mark wake up in Donghyuck’s bed, he looks over to find Renjun mysteriously missing, no key in sight. It’s after three days and two: 

“CLOSE YOUR EYES!” 

“THEY ARE CLOSED!” 

“WELL CLOSE THEM MORE!” 

showers that Donghyuck and Mark decide to corner Renjun where they know he’ll be.

“How did you know I would be here?”  
  
Donghyuck (and, consequently, Mark) points at the sign above the library aisle, titled _ Beginner’s Magic Section _ .  


“I didn’t. Thought you’d at least be intermediate level by now.”  
  
Renjun scowels, and then seems to remember why Mark and Donghyuck must be searching for him, and worriedly begins to gather his books.

“Well, I’ll probably get going then, nice seeing you guys!” Renjun attempts to sneak past Mark, only to have him put his free arm out, blocking Renjun’s path.

“No way,” Mark states. Donghyuck thinks this is the most serious he’s ever seen him. Cute.

Renjun visibly swallows, “is there something else you guys need?”  
  
“Yeah, dickwad we want our fucking hands unlocked,” Donghyuck pointedly reminds him, eyebrows raised and lifting up their connected wrists.

Renjun forcibly laughs at a volume barely appropriate for the library aisles they stand in, “so about that….” he sets his gaze anywhere but on Donghyuck’s eyes. 

“I mayormaynothave...hadthekeyforlikefourdays PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!”  
  
Mark looks back and forth between the roommates, genuinely not knowing if Donghyuck understood any of the words that just came out of Renjun’s mouth. All he can see is a poorly constructed calm facade, attempting to mask the fury behind Donghyuck’s eyes.

“What the fuck, I’m going to kill you.” At Donghyuck’s words Renjun shrinks smaller, if that’s even possible, and Donghyuck quickly marches toward him.

“Wait! I’m stuck to you and that would make me an accomplice!”  
  
Donghyuck continues moving forward, dragging Mark with him, as Renjun backs into a bookshelf.

“Renjun. If you don’t want me to murder you in your sleep, for the love of god unlock us right now,” and that does the trick, as Donghyuck and Mark watch Renjun pull a small plastic key out of his pocket. 

  
“They had that at the locksmith?” Mark questions, not knowing how Renjun obtained the cheap-looking key.

“No, the same company that made my Magician’s Toolkit—”

“Magic set.”  
  
“Thank you, Donghyuck.”  
  
“My pleasure.”  
  
“The same company makes spare keys you can buy on Amazon,” Renjun’s voice begins to get smaller with every word as he grimaces, Donghyuck’s glare getting more and more angry, “fast and free delivery with Amazon Prime Student?”  
  
Donghyuck rolls his eyes, snatching the key from Renjun’s hand and unlocking the handcuffs.

“I’m moving into a single dorm and you’re paying the extra tuition,”  
  
“Good luck with that,” Renjun smiles, pocketing the key and handcuffs, swiftly leaving Mark and Donghyuck standing in the magic section of their university library.

“Why is my life so weird?” Mark asks, rubbing his wrist which was connected to Donghyuck’s moments ago.

“You’re telling me,” Donghyuck replies, immediately losing any and all anger when he looks at Mark, relieved that he’ll never have to pretend to listen to organic chemistry again.

It’s unspoken as they intertwine their hands, exiting the library and by second nature walking to their favorite boba place.

Donghyuck thinks he’s really grateful for magic. For Mark, too.

~~~

**donghyuck (ur main bitch) @fullsun tweeted:** I’M FREEEEEE!!!!!!!! WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY FUCKING LIFE

**Author's Note:**

> that was my first fic!!
> 
> hope it was ok? no one's first can be that good... lmao. thank u!!


End file.
